wishes made
by holzy
Summary: Faint whispers of goblin blood, and the Labyrinth is no longer as it was. Be it that way, Toby ventures once again to the underground to learn who he really is now and save the thing that he loves most in his life. prolouge to slash, Jaretoby
1. puzzle pieces

The hoot of an owl was not rare near his home. His parents told him owls began to come here when his step-sister, Sarah was a teenager. One in particular, large and white would often stay outside Sarah's window, surely enjoying whatever view it would receive from the room.

17 and quite proud of himself, he had grown to be a little thin, below average in height and careless about his appearance. Perhaps he got his attitude it from his sister, whom in the face he looked surprisingly similar to as well.

Almost 16 years had gone by since Sarah's rescue mission into the Labyrinth. She was actually quite similar to the way she was at 15, her age well hidden. A trait enjoyed to it's fullest in the family. Today, Sarah was going to come home. His childhood hero, his unknown savior was coming finally home.

Jareth watched the teenager scamper about his room, cleaning up a mess here and there, ignorant of the owl, stark in the daylight outside the boy's window. His wings bristled and then he drew himself up to fly away. Sarah, was coming back for another visit. This time… Jareth was ready.

"Toby! Come on, I need you to do these dishes! We don't need to look like pigs living here when your sister gets home!"

"Eh? Mom! If we live like that, then we live like that!" The shaggy haired strawberry blonde dodged a pillow from the living room. "What? It's true!"

A day like any other. The family had only grown closer over the years, and while Sarah was still there, the step-siblings had gotten along well after the unspoken incident. Her stories of it she told to Toby in the form of fairy tales, and Toby had never to that day forgot one. What of the princess who tricked the Labyrinth? The knights who she found on the way, the ones who saved her from certain death many a time before they finally made their way to the Goblin Castle. Jareth the Goblin king's dark castle.

"He is tall and pale. The best way to figure out who he is… would be by his eyes. One if brown, and the other is blue. Toby, if you are ever to see this man, please, run away as fast as you can. He will swoop you up and claim you a wished away if you stay with him!" A 17 year-old Sarah would tell the 5 year-old Toby.

"I sure will, Sarah! After I knock him flat!" The toddler swung a hand in the air, and Sarah caught it before it made contact with one of her stuffed animals.

"Toby. You mustn't argue with me about this one. He is a deceiving man, and he will trick you."

Large blue eyes eyed those of his sister's carefully. Something told him that this fairy tale touched Sarah deeper than the others. Toby quickly changed the subject, to drive away her distress. "Sis, can you tell me the story of the man who climbed the girls hair into the tower? Can you change it around like you did before?"

A much younger Sarah laughed at her innocent brother. "I would love to, you darling thing."

"Hey?…" The front door opened tentatively, and a short haired brunette took a small step in. Light flowed from the windows, and the house gave off the familiar warmth of her childhood.

"Sarah?" Toby peeked out from the kitchen, some soap suds sticking to his arms. "Sarah! You're finally home!"

Toby scampered back into the kitchen and returned again, this time without the bubbles. Sarah dropped her bags by the door and the two hugged each other swiftly. Toby's mother skipped into the room and threw herself into the hug before Toby could pull himself from it, and her husband laughed at the spectacle his family was.

Sarah smiled and made her way to one of the well used sofas. When her stepmother first came, everything had been very starched clean and Sarah had hated it. Now, the house felt more like a home than it had for her at Toby's age. She said a silent thankful prayer for her brother's wellbeing and then turned to her family.

"It's true, Mom I am engaged now." Sarah's step-mother was now Mom. She had been for many years now.

"Took you long enough." A rolls of large blue eyes told Sarah off with ease.

"Shush, Toby! Your sister is talking right now." As defensive as it was, of course the woman agreed with her son.

Her eyes sparkled as she laughed. "No, it's true. I've really taken my time, haven't I?" Her fiancé was a very good man. A little older than she was, and had a love for adventure. Something the two of them shared, (being Sarah had a knack of inducing adventure accidentally or with a little push into her life) and they often went on long hikes and swims with each other.

"I'm glad to hear that, Sarah. We were beginning to worry." Her father cut into her thoughts and handed her a glass of wine.

"What? Chu-think she was a lesbian or something?" Toby grinned and dodged his second pillow of the day.

"Honestly, Toby! You've been acting like this all day long! Did you drink a little bit too much caffeine or something?"

Toby rolled his eyes. "Mom, really… I'm not a kid anymore who freaks out over some soda. I'm just happy Sarah's home." Toby smiled and looked to his sister. All of Sarah's friends had been jealous of how much Toby loved Sarah. Unlike most siblings, the two rarely argued or tried to find ways to torture each other. Most people put it off to age difference, but Sarah knew better. Her little goblin of a brother was connected to her one way or another.

The phone rang. "Oh, Sarah dear, please excuse me." Toby's mother sat up and walked into the kitchen. The sound of the phone being picked up was heard.

"Hello! Hm? What? Oh my god!" She came running back in, the phone clutched to her chest. "Sarah, I'm so sorry, but I need to go. My sister's had a heart attack!" The distressed woman ran for her keys and was almost out the door when her husband stopped her.

"I'll go with you. I don't want you to have a wreck, and you're in no condition to drive."

"I'll go too, Mom." Sarah sat up and started to make for her own purse. Her father stopped Sarah as well.

"No, you stay here with Toby. We can't have all of us running right now. We're sorry this had to happen when you came to visit Sarah…" He put an arm around his wife and they walked out the door, shutting it after a short goodbye.

Toby sighed and put his hands to his face while sitting on the couch. Sarah walked back over and dropped down beside him, and sighed as well.

"You know Toby… Things happen on days like this. After all, this is my anniversary with Jareth."

Toby's hands uncovered his eyes. "What do you mean Sarah?" Sarah only raised both eyebrows and rubbed her temples.

"Do you honestly think I could create such fairy tales at the age I was, alone?"

The owl still remained outside the house, picking at it's feather's on a tree limb. It's head twisted up, and it turned toward the house. Sarah was there, and the foolish parents were out of the way.

Now, all he had to do was get Toby to wish his sister away to the Labyrinth's clutches.

:D yay! One chapter down! Nobody is dead yet! This is a feat from moi. .. erm. Yes.

CC appreciated. I wanna know what you guys think about this so far. :3 sure, It's early on, but writing style is in every chapter, pretty peeps.


	2. the window's wind

Note to the reader:3 Go me. I lasted 2 whole days before growing irritated at what I wrote, and felt the need to put another chapter up, and a better chapter up. If I didn't just write as a go (a nice way of saying I pull it out of my ass ) then I might go back and change the chapter… has no intention of changing anything XD

Also, I hate how cliché this beginning is, but I swear it's going to take a swift change soon. .. I'm usually more clever at thinking up ideas for fan-fiction stories. Darnish.

Goodness knows this next chapter is somewhat more amiable than the first. :D

Enjoy :3

* * *

"Now, now, Toby. Don't you think you have anything better to give?" Jareth supported all his weight on one hip in a display of annoyance. 

" It's not like I can just give you a pat on the back and expect to get what I want back." Toby bit his lip and turned his face to the earth, red and caked from many days under the sun.

"No, but I would think you should be more selfish. With the options you've given to me, it's a lose-lose situation for you." Jareth formed a bubble between his fingers and began to spin it about. "Some people just give up their virginity or something like that. How does that sound?"

Anger flashed over the boys features. "I'll do what I can to save my sister, and if it means that…then…" Toby's hands clutched at the sides of his pant legs. His sister. He'd do what he could to save her. "Jareth… in my offer… I gave you a choice for everything. A choice to torture me, starve me, even send me into your bog. I can't see someone like you turning that down." He swiftly changed the subject back to the pressing matter, aware of the reaction he should expect.

Jareth's eyes glinted. This was true. It was an offer he didn't plan to miss a chance like this one. Jareth was also precautions with this in mind as well, for this family had a history of messing up plans and confusing his subjects. That and risking another mortal, especially this mortal, beating his Labyrinth… the reason this was all happening… he did not want to tempt such a thing. "You really can't think of anything more clever?"

"Is that what I'll have to do to get Sarah back?"

"I'll take you up on your previous offer then, boy. And you will stick to your word, or the Labyrinth will crush you ."

Somewhere far away, Sarah struggled against thin, but powerful bonds. Her little brother was risking everything for her… All because of her petty decision making.

Several hours before though, Sarah was not a prisoner of Jareth, and Toby was unaware his life was soon to be nothing like he had ever dreamed it to become. Sarah's decision to take a shower before helping her brother with a late dinner gave Toby time to think about things he generally had no time for. Being it was a Friday in late spring, Toby was still participating in school (to an extent, for Toby's level of activity did not come out of thin air, but from frequent naps during 3rd 4th and 5th periods), and drama is not rare at a high school.

"Toby! I don't want your relationship advice. I mean it too. You always give people bad news! And the last time you gave someone good news, she got pregnant and ran away with her boyfriend to god knows where!" A bleach blonde bit her lip to keep anymore tears from dripping down her face.

"All I said was I thought the relationship wasn't going to last, okay? I didn't know you'd go all out on me for saying something like that, Megan." Toby pulled a hand through the bangs of his chin-length hair and adjusted his reading glasses.

"You're so stupid, Toby. Whatever you say about relationships is always so painfully true in the future! I wish you would just keep it to yourself next time! I'm happy with him! Now, I'm going to feel uncomfortable around Jeremy!" Megan used the back of her arm to wipe the tears from her face.

"Don't talk to me again Toby!"

Toby sighed and turned back to his lit book. Girls were so confusing to him. He'd gone out with a few and had never been able to figure them out. So moody, and they always read between the lines. Toby yanked off his glasses and turned up to apologize once again to Megan after being unable to begin reading a second time, when he noticed she was no longer standing stiffly by his desk, but trembling in the doorway. As he moved to sit up, he heard her let out a choke, and then a small groan before turning around and heading back to Toby's seat, which she promptly dropped into.

"I'm… I'm sorry Toby. That was Jeremy and that cunt Lacy in the hallway. They were kissing, tongue and all." The tears fell unattended now onto the desk making small clear puddles. A few girls came up to her and tried to comfort her, but she shrugged them off.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't act like this. It's not like anyone you meet at this age is going to stay with you the rest of your life, isn't that right Toby?" Her words stung his chest and he lifted his book bag up off the ground.

"I don't know, Megan. The bell's going to be ringing soon, so you should get your stuff." Of course he was aware that most people don't end up lasting. One of his unexplainable gifts was the strange instinct to tell if a relationship was true. He had been so excited when he had seen that one girl, the one who was really in love. He had promptly told her so, and by then it was already a rumor of Toby's insight. Now, she was gone with her boyfriend, and Toby knew where. They had moved to the city, and he had started a business, being somewhat older than her. Her secret had been given to Toby alone, and he hadn't spoken to her since.

The more and more he grew older, the more people he saw in doomed relationships. Maturity was painfully honing this ability, and Toby was now beginning to understand why each couple was going to go astray. He knew what was going on, even if he didn't know the person. Though this seemed unnatural to him, he kept this as much as he could to himself and tried to ignore the rumors and the stares.

"Are you okay, Toby?" Sarah's voice was distant, though welcoming as she slowly opened the door to his dark room.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You all done dolling yourself up for nobody?" Toby lifted his head off the soft pillow on his bed, and smirked at his step-sister. Sarah rolled her eyes and flipped up the light switch.

"Toby, it always creeps me out when I have to walk into a dark room. Let's go down to the kitchen, where the lights are all on."

By the time Toby had made it down the stairs into the kitchen, Sarah had already opened up different food parcels she had brought with her. "Will you go wash these," Sarah asked before continuing with, "Oh, where does Mom put her pots and things now, Toby?"

Toby shrugged and took the apples from her. "What are you planning on making?"

"Why, caramel apples of course. You don't think living on my own has taught me a thing about cooking anything worthwhile, hmm?" Toby gave out a short laugh before turning to the sink with his task.

"Oh Toby, I'll go upstairs for a moment and get some things. I got this great spoon…"

"I can hear the middle age catching up on you, Sarah."

"… Shut up and wash that fruit."

The evening passed without conflict other than a call from their parents telling them they would be spending the night out at their aunts. Sarah had insisted once more to go and check on her, but her parents quickly brought that down once again with the "Toby needs supervision."

"Well, kid, thanks to you I can't go check up on Auntie." Sarah sighed and worked her way up the stairs. Toby called up to her retreating back.

"Sarah! I'm sorry! I can go with you, and then they won't complain!" Toby was 17 now, this was getting a little out of hand in his humble opinion.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to bed…" Toby frowned, but shrugged it off.

"'Kay… I'll just be watching TV…"

Toby sat abruptly up from his nest of blankets on the couch. The thump had come from above, in his bedroom. After sitting for a moment, blinking away sleep, he decided it was just Sarah getting something or another from his room. With a moan, he fell back into the mess and waited for sleep to return.

But it didn't. The sound of a painful ripping leaked out from under the door of his bedroom, and Toby was up and running for the stairs moments later. Another door slammed from upstairs, and Toby recognized it as the room Sarah was staying in. With a final burst of speed, he threw open his own door to a dark room, and on the middle of the floor lay Lancelot. The stuffed bear he had received as a child was torn in half, it's insides spilling onto the wood. He bent down and reached tenderly for the bear, ignorant of the shuffling and the small giggle from under his bed.

"Sarah! Why would you do something like this?" Toby fumed, and Sarah sat up in bed to accept the image of her brother holding a small stuffed animal in the doorway. The bear was thrown expertly at her face and it took a quick move on her part to dodge it. "What are you TALKING about Toby? I would never do this to Lancelot!" Sarah lifted the bear with the care of a mother, and held it to her chest.

"Who did it then, hmm? Merlin? The dog's been dead for a few quite a few years now, Sarah, we're the only ones in the house!" Toby grabbed the door handle with all his might and thrust the door shut, allowing the walls and ground around to shake from the impact. Sarah stared meekly at the door, and felt the chill from the dark room settling on her. She had never done well with dark rooms.

Toby threw himself onto his bed and gripped his pillow to his face. Lancelot was important to him, and he thought the old bear was important to Sarah as well. "Obviously she doesn't care that much if she gave him to me though. Damn… all over a stupid trip to Auntie's." Toby's eyes carried him to the clock which wrote 2:45. It was late, and he should sleep. He would think about it in the morning.

Only moments later he became aware that the windows in his bedroom were wide open, and a warm breeze was streaming through. A shuffle of papers was enough to lift his head, and from the light outside he was able to read a page from an older script.

"I… I wish the goblins would come take you away…" His mind focused on Sarah, on her smiling face, on her long hair… The next line was blurred by a shape in the window. Toby looked up, to see the snow-white owl staring unblinkingly at him. A chill ran down his spine, and Toby stood up to close the windows. After doing so, he turned back to the bed and read the last line.

"Right… now."

Sarah's hand had barely tapped the light switch when a shuffle of something on the floor distracted her. The snicker from the other side of the room caught her attention moments later, and then the swish of long fabric filled her ears. Her hand once again went for the light, and as she flipped it up, the bulbs did not catch. Shock wore off, and terror filled her. She now grabbed blindly for the door. Her hand landed upon another's, this one gloved and she knocked it out of the way to open the door.

In this small amount of light that was able to escape in, the thing that she saw first and last was the glint of eyes. One brown and one blue. Consciousness left her.

"Sarah?…" The first question timid "Sarah? Where are you?" Toby, unafraid usually dark rooms turned to flip on the lights… and found the switch already pointing up. Across the room was a lamp, and he gulped before walking across to get to it. The lights came on when he was about to grab the string, and he became aware of a shape in the bed. His movements were slow, but he reached out a thin arm and pulled back the covers to find nothing but a small glass bubble. His fingers ghosted over it, and when he did, it popped loudly. The noise made Toby jump back and fall over onto his rump. As he sat up again, Lancelot lay in the bubble's place body sewn in place as if he had never been through any trauma.

"Lance-"

"Is perfectly safe, I reassure you."

Toby turned his head to view the speaker. He took in a tall pale man with hair so light It was almost white. The man was quite beautiful, and though physically did not look too much older than Toby, he gave off an air of having lived many years longer. "Who…"

"I'm the one who came to help you with your little problem." The man ended with a sarcastic drawl, and his grinned maliciously.

"Problem?… I have no problems to think of. Where is my sister?" The fact he had a strange man in his house did not phase him. Something about this foreboding figure was attractive in a way, and he found himself enjoying the man almost instantly by his consuming charm.

"You wished her away to the goblins, did you not?" Mock innocence now controlled his voice.

"When?… What? I didn't even know what I was reading…" Toby looked down at his knees, and tried to sit up. The sudden breath of air warned him of continuing. The man now sat, propped on his feet, hands on his thighs in front of Toby.

"Slower than your sister, aren't you?" His face was now entirely visible. The eyes glimmered in the fluorescent light pouring from the fan above. One brown, and one blue. Once this information digested, Toby jerked back involuntarily.

"You are… Jareth. King of the Goblin Kingdom and the Labyrinth."

"Half right mortal. The Labyrinth has not listened to a word I have said since your darling sister beat me at my game. But, that is a story for another time. And, I'm afraid it's no bedtime story, which is where you should be at this hour. In bed." Jareth took Toby's limp arms and lifted the boy up, directing him out of Sarah's room. Toby froze in his step before Jareth could take him past the doorway into the quiet and dark of his own room.

"What do you think you are doing?" Toby's voice was low and deadly. " Do you think I am unaware of your game? I'm not going to just go to bed when my sister is in your disgusting castle with your piss-ant goblins." Jareth raised an eyebrow at this comment and then his eyes darkened.

"Strange you should insult the goblins, when you yourself are quite close to what they are, little Toby." The man moved away from the teen and formed a bubble in his hand, enjoying it immensely for the short amount of time it was in his grasp. Toby snatched at the bubble and tossed it onto his bed in one motion.

"You're sneaky like them too. I had no idea it took Sarah so long to get you back the first time. Pity for you I am still much faster" Jareth lifted Toby by one arm, and flung him into the room onto the bed with the bubble and script book, knocking them all onto the floor. Toby sat up and nursed a bumped head before leaping up to attack Jareth. Jareth was already gone from the door way, and when the younger took a step back, he collided with something firm and covered in smooth fabric. He felt himself melting into the fabric before being pushed foreword back onto the tousled bed.

Tears fell down his face with realization. It all made so much sense. Everything that Sarah had said, all the stories of the Labyrinth.. They were all true. If he were to venture into the Labyrinth, he should hope to find the same friends Sarah had found in her venture or he would be hopeless. A sob escaped him, and for the first time in many years he cried. He had been horrible to his sister, and then sent her away. Battling the Labyrinth and saving her was the only thing he could think of to make it up, added to the fact he would save her unconditionally anyway.

"Are you ready then, runt?" Jareth did not face Toby, but looked to the window and the streetlight sending a faint light into the room.

Toby scowled at this term and faced Jareth. "I was ready as a babe, and I can face you again." Jareth shrugged and turned around, possibly oblivious that Toby had pocketed the bubble and the script.

Jareth's cloak fell to the ground behind him, and when the older turned to face the boy, the grin on Toby's face was priceless. "I did it while you were busy throwing me about, your _highness_." Jareth's cheek twitched slightly and he left the fabric on the ground as he walked back to Sarah's room.

The man was standing by Sarah's window, looking strangely fitting in a room full of odd little theatre books and posters. In an instant, the windows were open, and Jareth had climbed stealthily through. On the other side, it was no long a dark street, but an orange toned world, a clear day. Toby crawled out the window and surveyed the shriveled world around him. The Labyrinth was not the same as Sarah had described. Many patches of green and blue now filled the quite place, and it grew dark around the middle of the labyrinth.

"So, I am to face your Labyrinth, and when I get out, you will return Sarah to me? Toby brushed at his legs and thanked himself for not pulling off his shoes before watching TV the night before.

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. You aren't Sarah, and you're going to have to give something up if you can even try to make it through the Labyrinth. Something important as well.

"If I fail, then you keep Sarah, but then you get to keep me as well. Sound like a plan?" Toby seemed cheerful considering the situation. Also, he knew that if Sarah and him were together, they could think of an escape plan. It was simple.

"Not as simple as that Toby. You'll have to give something up to get her back." Okay, maybe it wasn't as simple as he had hoped.

Toby's lips parted and then closed again. His throat became dry, and his voice was a croak when he was able to speak. "The best I have to give is my life. I do not have anything very important. I will remain as a slave whether or not I can save Sarah."

This is how they came to their argument. With Toby's wining notion Jareth sighed and a clock was suddenly made aware behind him. "You have 26 hours to reach the castle, and then we'll complete our deal. I would suggest you not complain about time, because you'll need every moment to make it through."

With that, he was gone. Toby blinked, and then turned to the task in front of him. "The princess thought it was a piece of cake. I hope it can be just as easy for me…"


	3. drops of wings and leaf

Not much to say before this chapter. Maybe just enjoy. :3

* * *

Face to face with a fairy. That's the last place Toby EVER imagined he would be.

She smiled, and twinkled a little. Toby grabbed her wing and flung her into the brush on the side of the labyrinth.

"HAH! I always wanted to do that." Toby grinned and continued to look for a way into the stone monster. The walls seemed tall... but perhaps…

Toby of course landed promptly on his bum after the first and final attempt to scale the Labyrinth's side. "Sarah got in… but how was it she did it again?"

_The little blue-eyed boy laughed as his sister propped him in her lap. "Alright, I'll tell you it really quick. Short version."_

"_Why not long?" The eyes watered at the very thought of missing a single bit of Sarah's magical tale._

"_I… fine. I'll tell you the whole thing, Toby…" Sarah paused and smirked. " if you go to bed RIGHT after without a complaint."_

"_I will Sarah! I promise!"_

"_Alight. It all began when the princess wished her little brother away accidentally to the goblins. The King tried to persuade her out of the ultimate decision, but she did not waver. She would walk his Labyrinth, and would do it within 13 hours to save her little brother of being turned into a goblin much like the King himself. At the entrance… she met a strange knight by a watering hole. He was doing something you must never do Toby. He was using the restroom in public! Can you imagine at how the Princess would react?…"_

"That's it! I'll look for a pond or something like that!" Toby turned about and came face to face with a strange being. She was long, and unnaturally skinny, her hair was thin but wafted about her face, cut short to her chin.

"What is a mortal doing by our Labyrinth?" Her eyes were stitched shut with black thread.

"Erm… I'm going in to save my sister. I accidently wished her away." Toby took a step back and bumped into another thin being, similar to the first, but her mouth was sewn shut with the same black thread. The woman leaned foreword and tipped her head in an unnerving manner to inspect the boy.

"He…is a boy then? A young boy too. A handsome boy. Come stay with us for a bit, will you, young prince?" A third voice came from his right side, where another woman, this time with sewn down ears, attaching to the sides of her face.

"Would you… maybe show me the way in?" Toby felt the chill run down his spine as the one with her mouth sewn shut ran a hand down his arm.

"Why would you want to do that, Toby dear? We love the little mortals, stay with us out here!" The three let out garbled laughs and then stepped together, forming into one girl. Her face was free of the stitches, but scars were clearly left from a punishment she must have endured.

"Who are you?" Toby reached into his pocket for the bubble to use as a defense if needed, at least to startle her. She winked at him and spun around

"We are the spirit of the fairies killed in the Labyrinth. The only way for another creature to really kill a fairy is to sew her eyes, mouth, or ears shut. We all do one for the other, and watch the foolish ones who hurt our kind." Toby's mind reeled back to the fairy he had thrown just moments before.

"I… I'm sorry for doing that to the fairy. I promise not to mess with a single one again. They are quite pretty, and I was unsure if she would hurt me, you know and…" The entity pressed one long finger against Toby's mouth.

"You need not to apologize young mortal. We can see you, hear you, and thankfully give you your answers. You did no harm when you knocked this fairy to the ground. She was actually quite the most difficult problem, and we've been looking for her for sometime." One long hand drew the squirming sprite from her skirts. "We don't like troublemakers among us." A painfully loud squeal escaped from the fairy as her wings were torn off her back. The god clenched the squirming form in her hands until it stopped moving, then flung it against the stone wall.

"There is your key into the Labyrinth, my little Toby. Call on us if you need any help while on the way. We cannot take you through the Labyrinth, but if you are in a tight place, we can get you out." The creature dropped the fairy's wings into Toby's hands, and where the wings hit his palms, they sunk in, leaving a strange tattoo on each hand. She turned about, and left, fading away into the walls where the blood of the fairy had splattered.

The shocked boy stared at his hands for a bit before looking to the wall where the little sprite had met her end. In her place stood a grand doorway. His hands pushed it lightly, and it creaked open, revealing a long passage way to the left and right. It seemed endless, but Toby was prepared.

"Now… I must look for a caterpillar who says Hello the wrong way…"

"Toby'll come, and he'll save me, Jareth!" Sarah kicked at the tall pale man standing in front of her.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah… I came to talk to you about just that. Toby and I have made a deal… One I wonder if we will all regret." The King leaned against a wall, rubbing his forehead. The naïve mortal child was not playing his game the way he was supposed to.

After bribing that damn caterpillar with a cup of tea for the fastest way to the center of the Labyrinth, he had been able to dodge the traps Jareth had left for him along the path while taking that route. The strange rotting fairy had managed to recollect herself due to Toby's lack of thought, and she now protected him from the walls, holding the stones in place as Toby unknowingly walked by. What exactly she was Jareth never knew, but he had gotten one of her subjects to betray her and split her up. Toby had created his own way in.

"Jareth. Why is it so horrible to us all if Toby can beat your rodent maze? I cannot believe Toby has done something that will really cause a problem to himself, or me…"

"He… He used himself as a sacrifice for your return to your world. He could have given up any number of ridiculous things, but he doesn't seem to be attached to anything above but you. I have to accept this, but now he's quite on his way due to a sudden stroke of brilliance. You don't want Toby to stay here, I'm sure, I don't want Toby to make it because I want you… and Toby… it would be the worst thing to happen to all of us if he were to make it all the way here."

"Why would he…?… Toby…." Sarah groaned and pulled at her bonds. Toby was making a mistake in his actions, and she would have to be the one to save him. He was her brother, her only brother. "Why would Toby coming be the worst of it for you too, Jareth?…"

Jareth did not answer immediately. "We… must have the ceremony before I answer that question, Sarah."

Sarah made an angry noise at the mention of 'ceremony'

" Are you talking about a

WEDDING CEREMONY, you DEMON?"

Jareth's eyes lit up for the first time in the conversation. "I wish, Sarah dear. Maybe we'll save that for later."

"Now… which way to go?" Toby groaned and pushed at some of the stones on the walls around him. The Labyrinth had become dramatically orange again, similar in shade to the outside. Toby looked to his pocket and pulled out a small watch. He had walked for 7 hours already, and he was beginning to get worried. Only 19 more to go to reach Sarah. Toby turned around to retrace his steps and found a sudden dead end from the direction he had come.

"Looks like we have a visitor!" A voice called from behind Toby, and another laughed. Toby jumped and then spun around to view a strange spectacle. There was two fuzzy creatures, or was it four? Toby gasped and remembered Sarah mentioning these monsters, both behind large shields. One would always tell a lie, and the other would always tell the truth.

But which one was it?

"_I then came across the funny men, and with all I could muster up, tricked them into telling which way was the way in."_

_"How did you do that, Sarah?"_

_"Why, I asked them a question that involved the both of them to give away which was lying." _

That was all he could remember. No mention of which, right or left was the way.

"One of these doors leads to the center of the Labyrinth… the other…" Began the one on the right.

"DUN DUN DUN" The one on the left interjected.

"Leads to certain doom" Both Toby and the one on the right proclaimed, only Toby with an obviously sarcastic tone. The 4 all looked to one another and shrugged. The kid knew what was going on, they would need to tell him no more.

"My question…" Toby said to the one on the left "I am wondering… Would he," Toby nodded to the one on the right . " tell me 'Yes' that this door is the way to the castle?"

The fuzzy face blinked, then ducked down and said to his other, "Well? Oh. Alright." He looked up again. "Yes." He proclaimed happily.

"Then.. this is the door that leads to certain doom, and that one leads to they castle." The 4 all blinked. "Well, he'd be telling the truth then, and if you said he said 'No' then it would still be that way. It just would."

Both creatures shrugged and the right began to open up. "No, wait. I was also wondering if I could have a lift up to the top so I could get a good look!" Toby rushed to close it, and the door swung entirely open, and the thing pushed him in. Toby yelped as he rolled a few feet over a gaping hole and onto the ground on the other side. As he sat up, he felt a chill run down his spine as a gray hand reached over the side.

"Where are you taking me, asshole?" Sarah let out a squeak as she hit a small, but pointy rock on the ground with her bum. Jareth could not get Sarah to walk out of the room willingly, so he had decided to drag her out. He was already fed up with Sarah's endearing nicknames, and the annoyance known better as Toby had somehow avoided the oubliette, he needed to move Sarah to a better hidden place.

"Don't worry about that, Sarah. We're just taking you to a more, comfortable room, where you can roam about until when I need you." Jareth tossed her into a large, but quaint bedroom, with a wardrobe and a washroom in it. Sarah sighed and dropped onto the bed, worn out from fighting. She soon fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by a soft sweet scent.

A severally beaten hand slunk back down into the hole after Toby had produced the play script book, and had used it the way he knew it must have been destined to be used: to beat the shit outta things. After sighing and looking about, he saw a large amount of green down the path. Toby happily ran to it, slowing down once he was immersed in the mess of leaves. It looked like it had once been a bush outlined maze, but now it was overgrown, the limbs from mass leaning over the path.

"Did maybe… Sarah meet Ludo here?" Ludo was another one of the knights. Sir Hoggle, Sir Ludo, and Sir Didymus were her knightly companions. Now that Toby had made it into the Labyrinth, things began to piece together. Perhaps these people were not really knights, but for Toby's sake she had changed it about. Toby sat down, confused about what Sarah had made up and what was true, and tired. He too drifted off into a sleep much like his sister, only his senses were clouded by the strong smell of the brush.

When Toby woke up, he jumped up startled by a soft finger running through his hair. The next thing he did was go for the watch. "How?…" Toy gasped as he looked at it, he only had 14 hours left to get to the castle, and from what he could see of it through the branches, it looked too far away to reach in a week. The finger returned while he was looking away, running down his back, sliding over all wrinkles to make him squirm. "Who the HELL are you?"

Who the hell was found to be another thin figure, a boyish face, but taller than Toby. He grinned, showing his canines. His skin was dark as was his hair which was pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his neck. His clothes were torn, but looked like they were once elegant. Something about him reminded Toby of the strange fairy he had met before " I goot tired of ye sleeping on m'legs, so I woke ye up."

"I so did not sleep on your foot!"

"How would ye know, eh?"

"I fell asleep against those over grown bushes over there." Toby pointed to the greenery, shocked to find that the place where he was sleeping was pressed back, in the shape of a human body.

"Aye. You had no clue, boy. I'm not blamin' ya. Jest git used'ta things bein not as they are in the Labyrinth." The teen scratched his head and bent over, using long and callused fingers to pick up a small shining stone. "D'ye see this?" Toby nodded once, but kept his guard up. Who knew what this strange person could do to him. "This is a shield stone, Toby."

"How did you know my name?" Toby's hand made for his pocket once again, attaching itself to the smooth bubble, still un-popped from all it had been through.

"Word travels quickly through here, shut it for a moment, would ya?" The stone dropped down to the ground, landing soundly. "This stone kept me trapped in this forsaken place for many a year. Thanks to ye, I'm free. Ah'll do what I can to help ye through the Labyrinth to the Castle. How about that?"

Toby blinked, then smiled. Jareth had no doubt done this to this poor boy, and probably caused the grief of the fairy as well. Jareth was cruel, and Toby felt a spark of anger in him. "You swear you'll help me, and not trick me?"

"I swear it on m'mother's grave, boy. Ye understand? I'm Lear, and I already know your name, Toby. I also know who you are looking for, and I know how to get you to her. I'm glad ye decided to let me tag along."

Toby sighed and shook Lear's hand. Sir Lear, and Sir Creepy-fairy-chick were his companions. She might not have noticed, but Toby knew she had stuck around. Toby could see her clear as day, saving his ass in bad situations. Being the crafty little thing he was, he had tricked her of course, but without knowing tricked Jareth as well. Toby had many secrets.

"Alright. We should get moving. Can you get us out of this mess?" Toby nodded to the leaves around him, and Lear snorted.

"'Course I can, boy. C'mon." Lear started down the way and took a right turn. Perhaps it wouldn't be so lonely, thought Toby, with this strange kid to help him get about. Sir Lear. Toby inwardly laughed at what Sarah might say to that.

Prince Toby. He didn't mind that name either.


	4. masked disease

eek I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner. I would have, but I thought I wasn't done with the chapter... Then I opended it up, and realized that I had already begun on chapter 5, and I was just hella confused. ; hols teh stupid

Mmmmm. Well, this part of the story is close to over. I'm not used to writing such short stories, but I plan on doing much more with the next part of the story. Stick with me, and things will begin to come together. :3

Lear jumped out from behind a large what looked to be maple tree and screamed at Toby from the top of his lungs. The younger squeaked and grabbed a stick to throw before falling down. Lear dodged the stick and laughed at Toby, who laughed back before allowing himself to fall onto his back from a sitting position. They had 7 hours to get to Sarah, and Lear knew the way. Lear had been a very useful companion, feeding Toby and letting Toby take little rests and naps along the way to conserve energy. Jareth would no doubt fight Toby in the end, and Toby needed to be top shape for that.

"' can't be more'n little over half the hour fore we reach the castle. I know Synlia is watching, perhaps she'll join us for t'final trek?" Lear tipped his head to the side and asked Toby, before looking to the tree. A graceful figure dropped down behind the fallen Toby

"Who's…" Toby had managed to get out before a scarred unblinking and slightly blue tinged face greeted him. With another well placed squeak, Toby rolled to the side and then blushed as he sat up, catching a good view of parts of the fairy he didn't quite want to see through openings in the fabric of her clothes.

"He's… quite jumpy, isn't he?" Synlia smiled and stood up, gracefully stepping to Lear. "I'm glad you've helped him along. I found it in me to only protect him rather than just carelessly show him the way. I never imagined he would get so far to meet YOU. Your exile didn't go as planned for Jareth, hm?" Synlia picked at a forgotten stitch in her arm.

" 'tis right. Jareth had a thing or two coming for 'im if he thought he could get me to leave the Labyrinth." Lear and Synlia shared a smile, a smile that Toby could see held a secret. But what could the secret be?

Toby also something behind the dark and then stitch-marked lips. "Are you two… lovers?" The strawberry blonde absentmindedly tugged at the fabric on his shirt. Of course they were connected somehow. It was plain to see, at least for him. But… they might be future lovers or something of that caliber, so he asked in innocence.

"Perhaps… In a strange way Toby… Lear, do you mind if I tell him what is going about in the Labyrinth?" Synlia pulled the stubborn stitch out as Lear nodded. "Toby… This may come as strange to you, but you have been told things are not as they seem in the Labyrinth." Toby nodded in answer. "Lear and I… We are but bits of the Labyrinth. Like the stone and tree and water, even the bog. We are all made of the same magic in a sense. Jareth has not come to grips with the power of the Labyrinth yet, and because of this, you and your sister are here."

Toby sighed and took the information in. These… creatures, were like little puzzle pieces of the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth was more powerful than Jareth had any idea of… and this brought him and Sarah to this, how? "What does this have to do with my sister and I?"

Lear smirked. "She's the only one who's done it. The only one t'beat this stubborn old piece of rock. It's been heart broken, n'nothin' Jareth kin do will make it quite at it's mood. It's gone bad here Toby, since Sarah made it through. Jareth helping 'er did not please it either. Now the Labyrinth calls fer Sarah."

"Calls?" Toby could not believe his ears, and sadly he already knew what was coming.

"Yes. She is the wellbeing of the Labyrinth now, for she has done what even Jareth could not do. If you retrieve her, the Labyrinth was go into chaos."

"Why, then, do you want me to get her back? Were you tricking me all this time? Will you kill me once I reach the final gate? Toby asked himself alone his final question. He could fell his muscles cramping up. Sarah was part of this monstrosity that was all around him. His hand clenched at the dirt as Lear stood in front of the teen.

"If'n we wanted t'kill ya, we woulda done it long ago. Toby, ye' know you're already doomed t'remain here fer the rest of ya life. Maybe.. the Labyrinth t'would prefer you over Sarah in this interchange."

"What could possibly make me more "preferable" Lear? She's stronger, smarter, and it seems like the Labyrinth has already made up it's mind." Toby looked about him, to the small stream he could see a little off through the trees. The dirt that clung to his pants ends, the browned land of the bog, which he could see even from where he sat. That, possibly would all be part of him if he was able to save Sarah? The thought made him sick, and he could feel his stomach going to his throat. This thing from his childhood nightmares. This thing that had separated him from his sister and from his family, perhaps forever.

"D'ye understand nothing we've said, Toby? We know the flow of t'Labyrinth. It would like someone with some goblin blood'n 'em before a pure little thin' like Sa-." Lear stopped himself and he drew back, a look of horror on his face. Something that was not to be mentioned was out.

"That doesn't make any sense… I'm just as human as…"

_"He said,' you have but 13 hours to retrieve the babe, or the wished away will become a goblin.' The princess pleaded for it's return. Her parents would be heart broken!" Sarah's dramatic air gave her the depth she needed to scare the little boy into siting in her lap. _

_"A goblin? What does a goblin look like?" Toby asked, knowing perfectly well what the buggers looked like._

_"They're horrible little things. Short and quick, with warts and whiskers all over their faces. But Toby, the ones to be most afraid of are the ones that look most human." Sarah used her hands to sculpt her face into contorted shaped, causing the child to giggle._

_"Why're the ones that look mostly human the ones to be afraid'a?" Toby's little blue eyes glistened.  
"Because you never know if you're with one. You could be looking them in the face, and they could be laughing at you behind their nasty eyes."_

"I… never laughed at you Sarah." Toby's face darkened as he hung his head. Jareth's cold words to him were beginning to make sense. He was faster, more tricky, even the hint of that magic charm that allowed him to see the little attractions in people. Sarah must have been just a little too late in her first trip to the Labyrinth. They were all goblin traits, weren't they, Jareth?

"UNHAND ME." Sarah swung a candle holder, with the candle still attached at a large and frustrated looking goblin approaching her. The holder bounced off his head, without a dent. " I mean it! I'll really hurt you!" Sarah lifted a vase from beside the window.

Window?

The vase never connected with the Goblin's head. Rather, it connected with a beautiful stained glass window, shattering soundly. Sarah's arms covered her face immediately, and the goblin ducked and hid his face. Her hands brushed away stray glass pieces, and Sarah leaned over the side. It was a 10 foot drop, but that was better than she had expected. The lithe woman was over the side and hit the ground perfectly. She broke into a run, faster than she had ever gone before, and was lost in the trees.

Word didn't reach Jareth from the goblins. Taking matters into their own hands, several followed the mortal into the forest that was once the Goblin city.

Toby slept once again, but this time not because he wanted to. Synlia wove a tender sleeping spell, one that would last for 2 hours. This was all too much for the child. Lear sat in silence, angry at himself for letting something like that get out. It was a scar on the beings of the Labyrinth and the Castle. Everyone knew of the little mortal who was less than mortal after staying away from Above for too long. Not many knew his name, and it was not spoken of by means of Jareth's command.

Synlia sat beside Toby, who leaned against a small peach-tree, and smoothed a hand over his hair. The child had done many things in a short amount of time. Pity masked her strange face, and she too leaned against the tree for sleep. Lear did not think a thing of it, and sat up to go find something for Toby to eat when he woke up. Something that was not a peach.

_"Sir Hoggle handed the hungry princess a peach. She was so thankful, and bit right in… only to fall into a deep sleep. The world around her turned into a ballroom, a strange masquerade in fact."_

_"What… is a maskaterade?" The little Toby tipped his head to the side. Dances were so boring. Where was the action?_

_"It's a masquerade, a masked ball. The goblin king's are there for one purpose: To waste your time, so you will be late to save the wished away."_

_"I'll… Not be part of it then, Sis! It'll be easy to get out!"_

_"Perhaps. The princess was able to figure out it was a fake, and was able to escape by means of force. There is no magic in throwing things at shiny objects."_

_The little boy laughed, for he had done just that before, with a small, but heavy ball and a window for his shiny object._

_"I still won't go in. Dances are silly and girly."_

So why was he in one now? Just as Sarah had described them before, the ball was shimmering, and the masks looked like monsters. Where was his mask? He picked up a small, but covering mask off a nearby table, and brushed at his strange new clothes. They were old fashioned, but from what period he could not decide. The outfit was white and light blue, with silver on the buttons. His hair felt heavy, and from what he could see, there was a little silver in it as well. Jareth's masquerades were always exotic.

The whole scene was foggy, and he felt he could barely move about, at least not as quickly as the strange people about him. The music was a strange classical he had never heard. Toby decided it must be a dream. It wasn't like he had eaten anything strange, so he decided to enjoy it. A hand took his and spun him about, faster than he could do on his own. Frightened, Toby pushed away from the taller newcomer, who was obviously a man. "Who…?"

Toby's attention was quickly brought away from this, as he saw a beautiful figure cross the room. Her dress was large at the bottom, and revealed his small figure in a clever way as it came to the top. Her hair was all on her head, and many trinkets covered it. She seemed to be looking for something, but Toby could not catch her face. He separated from the man, and walked to her, tugging on one large sleeve. She turned around, and both siblings gasped. The two hugged each other, and she whispered into his ear. "Toby… I'm in the Goblin city. It's forest mostly now… but you'll find me in one of the houses. I'll see you then. She kissed his head and lifted his mask from his face. "You need to wake up now, I'll be taking this."

"Fare thee well, young knight."

"And you, fair lady. It was a pleasure speaking to the princess." Toby winked at Sarah, then bowed. He could feel the world about his wavering into a dark, very cold night.

"TOBY! You've GOT TO WAKE" Synlia yanked the groggy Toby to his feet.

"We… have to go to the Goblin City…" Toby rubbed at his eyes and shivered while his teeth chattered. He then fell to his side, wrapping his arms around himself. Sweat make his clothes cling to his body and he wondered briefly where it had come from. Lear sighed and lifted the confused Toby on to his back to give the boy a piggy back. It was an hour too soon for the spell to wear off, and they needed to move. They could not pinpoint why, but Toby's temperature had shot up and he had begun to have visible chills and shake. Toby's condition continued to get worse, and to their anger, it had taken 10 minutes to finally wake him up. It was still a mystery at why it had happened.

"First we have to cross the bog, Toby. You'll be more to your senses by then." Lear bit his lip and looked at Synlia, whose hands were clenched tightly. Her face read: "Jareth"

Sarah's escape from the castle could not be long delayed. Jareth swept into the broken room, and several other vases cracked in his fury. He had little time, and she was wasting it. "I assume guards are looking for her?"

"Yes, sire. They've sent Ghost after her as well." A small hairy creature trembled on the ground in front of Jareth.

"Excellent. Be off." The commands were followed happily. Jareth raised an eyebrow at the goblin, then turned back to the room. The security of the Labyrinth lay in the hands of a skilled mercenary. Everything would once again be set right.


End file.
